Mines Broken Down
Sirus
Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">Nub Friendly Breakdown of Uses</div> Mines are incredibly unique in that they can be used in completely isolated situations from offensive to defensive. Here are some good strats that canput these 8 res wonders to good use. The best thing about mines is that they PREVENT attacks, because touching a mine is most certainly death for an alien, and many aliens would like to avoid getting fragged, so your safe from team playing skulks who would happily throw themselves into a fray of mines for the sake of the team.
The Typical Defensive Mining : 3-4 Mines on each door entering the marine base, good reassurance that your base will be safe pre-tier 2 units. Best placement is one on the floor, one on the side from a crouched position and one from standing, and one from jumping if need be, in higher door situations. NOTE: You are still vulnerable from phase gates.
Resource Tower Mine Defense: Another basic mining technique. Simply place mines around, or on the Resource Tower to prevent Aliens from chomping on your precious RT's. Although if 1 mine is down, then the RT is vulnerable. It would be prudent to send marines to replace such missing mines on all RT's every couple of minutes.
Offensive Node Mine Placement : Don't let those gorges get those nodes ! Send a marine or two with a pack of mines to lay traps for non-observant gorges. Place 1 or 2 mines leading to the node at a low level, remember gorges can't climb walls. If there is a situation with no walls to mine that would prevent a gorge from reaching the node, then simply place a mine on the node itself and a few around it. (Tested, 2 mines will kill any uncarapaced gorge who tries to put down an RT, RT will remain, but the gorge will die. Add 1 more mine for every level of carapace after level 1 )
Offensive Choke Point Mining : In hotspot areas with plenty of aliens sometimes its a good idea to sneak a marine into lay a large amount of mines. Tier 1 units will have a difficult time getting past, especially if no vents are avaliable, best to mine in front of the vent, or behind it if you have the exit also mined.
Offensive/Defensive Vent Mining : With the effort of some map details or marine teamwork or even Jetpacks vent mining is probably the best thing you can do. Because of the narrow spaces 1 mine can do the job. However, many mines will protect the area for an extended amount of time, it would be ideal to put mines few and far between to insure good security.
Offensive Hive Mining : Here's a rather odd one. Place mines around their spawn, with some efficient marines, you can prevent aliens from leaving their hive, simply mine the doorways, and the exits of any vents, with luck, there will be no vents in the hive. If need be, place an armory so that you can continously lay mines. If succesful and the aliens can't leave their hive it would be considerate to end the game, long drawn out games in apparent losing situations are tedious and can easily upset people.
By using any of these tactics you can easily put yourself in a winning situation. This list is for marines and commanders alike. Commanders, make sure you give your marines mines, and marines, make sure you place them correctly.
REMEMBER: Maintaining the proper amount of mines in a trap is just as important as the technique used to lay the trap.
The Typical Defensive Mining : 3-4 Mines on each door entering the marine base, good reassurance that your base will be safe pre-tier 2 units. Best placement is one on the floor, one on the side from a crouched position and one from standing, and one from jumping if need be, in higher door situations. NOTE: You are still vulnerable from phase gates.
Resource Tower Mine Defense: Another basic mining technique. Simply place mines around, or on the Resource Tower to prevent Aliens from chomping on your precious RT's. Although if 1 mine is down, then the RT is vulnerable. It would be prudent to send marines to replace such missing mines on all RT's every couple of minutes.
Offensive Node Mine Placement : Don't let those gorges get those nodes ! Send a marine or two with a pack of mines to lay traps for non-observant gorges. Place 1 or 2 mines leading to the node at a low level, remember gorges can't climb walls. If there is a situation with no walls to mine that would prevent a gorge from reaching the node, then simply place a mine on the node itself and a few around it. (Tested, 2 mines will kill any uncarapaced gorge who tries to put down an RT, RT will remain, but the gorge will die. Add 1 more mine for every level of carapace after level 1 )
Offensive Choke Point Mining : In hotspot areas with plenty of aliens sometimes its a good idea to sneak a marine into lay a large amount of mines. Tier 1 units will have a difficult time getting past, especially if no vents are avaliable, best to mine in front of the vent, or behind it if you have the exit also mined.
Offensive/Defensive Vent Mining : With the effort of some map details or marine teamwork or even Jetpacks vent mining is probably the best thing you can do. Because of the narrow spaces 1 mine can do the job. However, many mines will protect the area for an extended amount of time, it would be ideal to put mines few and far between to insure good security.
Offensive Hive Mining : Here's a rather odd one. Place mines around their spawn, with some efficient marines, you can prevent aliens from leaving their hive, simply mine the doorways, and the exits of any vents, with luck, there will be no vents in the hive. If need be, place an armory so that you can continously lay mines. If succesful and the aliens can't leave their hive it would be considerate to end the game, long drawn out games in apparent losing situations are tedious and can easily upset people.
By using any of these tactics you can easily put yourself in a winning situation. This list is for marines and commanders alike. Commanders, make sure you give your marines mines, and marines, make sure you place them correctly.
REMEMBER: Maintaining the proper amount of mines in a trap is just as important as the technique used to lay the trap.
Comments
I had never even thought of a few of those things, like the offensive node mining. Good idea though.
Maybe you should update this with information about mines hurting structures/friendly units/etc. to make it a complete mine guide.
And Death, Yes, you can destroy mines, but think of how much time your spending. If marines maintain the proper amount of mines, then your out of luck, and since your spending so much time trying to cleverly detonate these mines, the commander should be teching up.
A few comments though.
Offensive node mining:
I find that placing 3-4 mines behind the node on the floor, works the best.
If you place them on walls the gorge can simply shoot them with the spit attack and they will detonate. On the floor they are often to hard to see for, when the gorge drops off the RC, he will most surely die.
Hot spot mining:
Be carefull with this one. I've seen far too many marines get killed by foolish mine placement. Mines will set off each other, and good alien players will take advantage of this. I played a game where someone used 20+ mines in one hallway, a gorge just sat there waiting for someone to enter. When the gorge spat at one they all blew, taking 3 marines with them (one marine had a JP, lets just say he was not happy).
I also have some suggestions on my own.
Booby trapping.
Place a mine in a dark area, or arround a blind corner. This doesn't really accomplish anything (unless you got lucky and capped yourself a gorge), but it is extremely annoying, and will eventually make easier targets out of the aliens as they will be forced to pay attention otherwise devoted to YOU <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Another use is to amplify turret effectivenes. (This is actually how real minefields are deployed)
When commanding I drop a mine pack or two before sending a team of marines on a "mission" I tell the mine carriers to be carefull, so they dont loose their cargo. Far too often your marines will get killed setting up turret farms or phase gates, drop some mines on the floor in the directions where the aliens are likely to come. Use liberal spacing you, dont want them to set each other off, nor do you want to actually seal off the area,
and for gods sake DON NOT place any mines near yourself, or the structures you will be building, mines have friendly fire. Just prevent the aliens from bee-lining at you troops, having them tip-toe'ing at you will make them easier targets.
Once your turrets are up, place whatever mines you may have left in the area "in front" of the turrets (where you would expect aliens to come from), only criteria is to get enough spacing so that they wont trigger other mines, and that they are "visible" to a turret or two.
It's MUCH harder to dodge turret fire when trying to avoid mines.
I find the best use for mines is put them as calymores (on floor) next to the IP's, OBS, PG and CC if its in an annoying position (bast, caged, hera).
Skulks that rush the base generally are too busy going "ME SMASH! ME SMASH!" to even suspect mines by the structures, and they are hard to see. Also they generally can't stay still because they'll be shot at so can't exploit any holes they make for some time.
Also fades don't notice them so don't set them off.
If I get a pack of mines then I generally always get kills from them. Once 2-3 rushes end with skulks getting blown up they usually quit.
do the number u mines u have replensish when u get ammo from the armory?
As for placing mines near IP's or base structures, PLEASE don't do that, mines have FF and will harm your marines (I dont know about structures). Since mines placed in near the base structures, are generally set too close, they will set off each other. Thus they will often only kill one skulk, and any marines who are trying to defend, I have often seen this on pubs, and I find it really annoying to see res wasted in that way.
That is correct. Mines around structures is the best placement.
--NS manual.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've been killed a couple of times by bad mine placement on the pubs, and I did not put them there myself.
Mine up a res all you want, but keep the mines clear of the base. It's much better to place mines where they will limit the aliens movement, if aliens cant dodge, they go down quick, and a single pack of mines may affect hordes of aliens.
Of course, you should still mine up the entrances, to rob the momentum of rushes.
Why?
Marines spawn.
Marines hump armoury.
Fade comes around corner.
Fade shoots largest collection of Marines he/she can see.
Bang.
Anyway my point was, if a marine is in the base and gets blown up by a mine, its not really a loss. He'll respawn soon and probably wasn't in a very good position (even for defense) anyway.
I don't understand how it is a waste of res to protect you most delicate structures in the most certain way possible. You can mine the entrance but theres often 2, and 1 skulk will make a hole in that set-up negating 5 mines.
On the floor next to structures they are:
Hard to see
Certain to damage the alien attacking them
and if the aliens try to circle strafe to structure they'll die very soon.
Also placed near a wall structures require less mines...
As for blowing each other up, set them further apart.